Telephone toll collecting box and method of construction thereof



G. A. LONG March 12, 1935.

TELEPHONE TOLL COLLECTING BOX AND METHOD OF CONSTRUCTION THEREOF Filed Jan. 25, 1935 p m w w Patented Mar. 12, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TELEPHONE TOLL COLLECTING BOX AND.

METHOD OF CONSTRUCTION THEREOF Application January 25, 1933, Serial No. 653,428 12 Claims. (Cl. 113-116) My invention relates to the class of devices employed in telephone and other apparatus for collecting pay for the use thereof, and an object of my invention, among others, is to simplify the construction of such devices, to produce an extremely strong anddurable' structure, and at the same time to increase the efficiency thereof.

One form of a toll collecting box embodying my invention, and in the construction and use of which the objects herein set out, as well as others, may be attained, is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is an isometric view of my improved telephone toll collecting box looking at the front and side.

Figure 2 is a similar view looking in the opposite direction from the point of view of Fig. 1 and with the wall toward the observer broken away.

Fgure 3 is an isometric view of the box front looking from the rear.

Figure 4 is an isometric view in section through a partially formed blank for the box frontL Figure 5 is a view in section through said blank showing an advanced step in the formation of the box.

Figure 6 is a similar viewshowing a further step in the formation of the box front.

Figures '7 and 8 are sectional views illustrating further steps in the formation of said front, Fig. 8 showing the finished front and the plane of section being denoted by the dotted line 8-8 of Figure 3.

Figure 9 is a side views of the lower portion of a telephone box with my improved tell collecting box secured thereto.

In the construction of boxes of the type forming the subject matter of this application it has been common practice to form the box from a blank out to shape to provide for different sides of the box including the front, the blank being then bent to the shape of the box andthe several parts of the blank being secured together at their meeting edges to form the box. Such a structure, owing to the seams and joints between the adjacent edges, ineffectually affords security for the contents as against breaking or distortion of the structure or other unlawful means for securing said contents.

,,0 The front containing the entrance openings and the lock securing the door to one of said openings being that portion of the structure upon which attempts to break through are more frequently made. it has been proposed to harden such front portion of the box, but difiiculty has been experienced'in this operation and particularly owing to the fact that the back and top of the box are open, so that any attempt to impart a greater degree of hardness to the front results in springing the sides apart and otherwise dis- 5 torting the structure.

While these means heretofore employed have been effectual to a limited extent, they have not fully satisfied the requirements, and it is the purpose of my present invention to so construct these 10 boxes that security of the contents shall be materially increased. To this end 1 form the front of the box of a single piece of metal, an operation which has heretofore been considered impossible, such construction avoiding seams and joints at 15 which rupture is liable to occur before the solid portions of the structure will give way, and the entire front is therefore of substantial uniform strength throughout. By forming the front of a separate piece of metal from the rest of the box structure such front may be hardened to any degree desired and which will therefore resist in a most effectual manner attempts to break through or distort the structure for the purpose of obtaining its contents.

My improved box embodying the features, hereinabove just referred to, is shown in the accompanying drawing in which the numerals 10-11 denote the side walls of the box, 12 the box bottom, and 13 the box front as a whole. When this box is installed in position for use it comprises the bottom of a telephone box 14 which closes the open top of the collecting box. and the latter together with the telephone box, are secured to a back plate 15, the lower part of the telephone box and the back plate with my improved toll collecting box secured thereto being shown in Figure 9. The construction of the box front, as hereinbefore. stated, comprises an important feature of my invention, such front having a flat top -16, and a front wall 1'7 united with the fiat top by a beveled part 18. This front also comprises ends 19 and a bottom 20. The front wall 17 has a large opening 21 and a small opening 22. the large opening being for access to the interior of the box as for the purpose of taking the contents therefrom, and the small opening being the outlet of a coin return chute through which returned coins may be obtained by the user when a desired connection cannot be obtained. m In the construction of the front 13 a, sheet of metal of rectangular shape is first struck to the form shown in Fig. 4 by means of dies, the lower die 23 only being shown. The blank thus formed comprises bottom and top portions 2425, a borare abutted against the frame comprising the sides der 26 enclosing a take-up panel 27 and a beveled portion 28. The border 26 extends completely around the panel 27 but it is wider on that side 29 than on the other three sides, and the panel 27 is bowed, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawing. The flanges comprising the bottom and top portions 24-25 extend around the blank forming end flanges 30 at opposite ends of the blank and as shown in dotted line in Fig. 5 of the drawing.

In a subsequent step in the operation, and as shown in Figure 5, the blank is narrowed by compressing-the border on one side as at 31 and also at opposite edges of the panel 27, the bottom and top portions 2425 being also formed to approach parallelism. In a subsequent step in the operation, and as shown in Figure 6, the shape. of the front is completed, the panel 2'7 being straightened as at 32, the surplus metal produced by this straightening being taken up in the ribs 31 and 26 and the piece being brought to its final dimension.

In a subsequent step in the operation the opening 21 is cut out and the lip 33 is formed against which the cover to close the opening 21 is secured, in a manner that will be readily understood.

' After the front has been thus formed its edges 10-.11 and the bottom 12, said frame also comprising flanges 34--35, and tie strips 36 are placed across the joints between the front and the parts to which it is secured, the uniting being completed by a welding operation firmly securing the strips 36 in place and the edges of the front tightly against the edge of the frame. This union enables the entire box to be completed in a manner such that the joint between the front and the frame is imperceptible.

As thus constructed a, particularly strong and durable box is provided amply efiicient to resist all of the efforts to distort or break it for the purpose of gaining unlawful entrance thereinto.

The construction of the front as a separate part enables this portion of the box to be hardened to such extreme as may be desired, and this clearly increases the strength of the box as a whole.

The box is provided with a partition 37 which separates the coin chamber from the coin return chute, and ribs 38 may be formed .in the bottom 12, if desired, to further strengthen this wall. Other than as a uniting element the tie strips 36 also serve as a stiffening element to impart extreme rigidity to the sides 10 and 11, the strengthening features hereinbefore described all cooperating to produce a collection box of extreme strength and rigidity.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes 1 have described the principles of operation of my invention together with the device which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof; but I desire to have it understood that the device shown is only illustrative and that the invention may be carried out by other means and applied to uses other than those above set out. i

I claim:

1. A toll collection box including a rectangularly s'haped frame comprising a portion of the box, a front formed of a single piece of metal stamped to dish shape of angular form with solid integral corners, and means for securing said front to the front edge of said frame.

2. A toll collection box including a rectangularly shaped frame comprising a portion of the the edge of said frame," and tie strips covering thejoints between the edges of the frame and front and firmly secured in place to unite said frame and front.

4. A toll collection box including a rectangularly shaped frame-comprising a portion of the box, a front formed of a single piece of metal stamped to dish shape of angular form with solid integral corners and with a coin collection opening and a coin return opening therein, said coin collect ion opening being bounded by a rolled border, and means for securing the edges of said front and frame together.

5. A toll collection box including a rectangularly shaped framecomprising a portion of the box, a front formed of a single piece of metal stamped to dish shape and comprising ends, a top and bottom all of angular form with solid integral corners and with a coin collection opening and a coin return opening in the front wall, the edges of said top, bottom and ends fitting the edge of said frame, and means for securing said edges together.

6. A toll collection box including a rectangularly shaped frame comprising a portion of the box, a front formed of a single piece of metal stamped to dish shape and including ends, a-

front wall, a bottom and a top all of angular form with solid integral corners and with a beveled wall connecting said top and front-and the edges of said front fitting the edges of said frame, and means for securing said edges together.

7. A toll collection box including a rectangularly shaped frame comprising a portion .of the box, a front formed of a single piece of metal stamped to dish shape'and comprising end, bottom and front walls and a top wall all of angular form with solid integral corners, said top wall having a beveled portion extending to the front wall, said front also having a coin collection opening bounded by a rolled border and a coin return opening, the rear edges of said front and the frontedges of said frame fitting together, and tie strips placed across thev joints between said frame and front and firmly secured in place to secure said front and frame together.

8. A rectangularly shaped front for a toll collection box comprising end, bottom and front walls and a top having a' sloping portion all formed from a single piece of metal stamped to dish shape with solid integral comers.

9. The process for producing the front of a toll collection, box that consists in forming a rectangularly shaped blank with top, bottom and end flanges and a front wall all of rectangular shape with solid integral corners, said front having a bowed take-up panel,.and then completing the formation of the box by stamping the blank to final shape and eventually flattening said panel and then removing said panel to create an opening.

10. The process for producing the front of a toll collection box that/c onsists in forming a rectangularly shaped blank with top, bottom and end flanges and a front wall all of rectangular shape with solid integral comers, said front having a bowed take-up panel with a border therearound, and then completing the formation of the box by stamping the blank to final shape and causing the metal from said panel to flow to the edge thereof to produce a rounded border and then removing said panel to create an openm 11. The process for producing the front of a toll collection box that consists in forming a rectangularly shaped blank with top, bottom and end flanges and a front wall all 0! rectangular shape with solid integral corners, said front having a bowed take-up panel, and then continuing the formation of the box bystamping the blank to flnal shape, this step including the straightening of said panel and the removal thereof to form an opening.-

12. The process for producing the front of a toll collection box that consists in forming a rectangularly shaped blank with top, bottom and end flanges and a front wall all of rectangular shape with solid integral corners, said. front having a bowed take-up panel, and then rounded border for an opening, and then removing said panel to form said opening.

GEORGE A. LONG. 

